2014 Best & Worst States

Remington is reducing its work force in Ilion, NY, south of Utica and east of Syracuse, where the gun maker has operated a factory for nearly 200 years. New gun laws, which are much stricter than in the south, are likely playing a role.

In the 10th annual survey of CEOs concerning their views of the best and worst states for business, over 500 CEOs across the U.S. responded, grading states with which they were familiar on measures including tax and regulatory regime, the quality of the workforce, and the quality of the living environment.

In Chief Executive’s tenth annual survey of CEO opinion of Best and Worst States in which to do business, Texas continues its 10-year historical position as the best state overall; but Florida, which ranks No. 2, is edging up and even overtaking Texas in its quality of living environment.

The bioscience industry has become one of the most innovative and important economic drivers in the U.S., now accounting for more than 1.6 million jobs, nurturing a well-paid and highly skilled workforce and maintaining an American edge in a cluster of technologies that likely will be as important to this century as computerization was to the last.

Under the previous governor, Scott Walker, Ohio became the No. 5 job creator in the nation and the No. 1 in the Midwest. Unemployment is now 6.5%, lowest in Ohio since June 2008. Likewise, Ohio has gone from an $8 billion deficit to a $1.5 billion surplus over the same period.

Tourism for the first quarter was down slightly from the same period last year. Hawaii lawmakers passed an increased minimum wage bill earlier this year, increasing it from $7.25 to $10.10. And in April, the governor approved a bill that would allow the University of Hawaii to grow a crop of hemp, for use in biodiesel. The program should provide new jobs on the island.

With China lifting its 7-year ban on Virginia poultry, the state’s GDP may be on the rise. In addition, Dominion Virginia Power received a $47 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to build wind turbines off of Virginia Beach, which will bring jobs to the area.

Arizona, which has been making news of late with the expansion of Apple’s sapphire plant in Mesa, has been cultivating high-tech innovation through its Innovation Challenge, which awards $250,000 to winning companies to start up their business in the sixth largest state.